The Power of Current College Students

Colleges often find themselves obsessed with new students wanting to lure them into the trap of their university. After all, new students represent the future generation of doctors, lawyers, engineers and even PR professionals. However, when you focus too much on the potential newcomers, you forget about your current students. With that, colleges need to adopt different PR strategies for bringing in new faces.

They need to realize catering to prospective students is not a sustainable practice. Trying to appeal to potentials but relegating their current to the back burner will only lead to dissatisfied students. When current students feel neglected in favor of potential ones, it creates a ripple effect of negativity that ultimately tarnishes the good name of the college. Conversations will inevitably turn to the school’s shortcomings, overshadowing the positive aspects of the institution. Whether it’s through word of mouth, social media or other communication channels, the bad and the ugly will be known to prospects. Therefore, painting an unflattering picture of the school.

This is what I mean by changing PR strategies, because schools unwittingly sabotage their own PR efforts by failing to recognize the influential role current students play in shaping perceptions. Current students are the best PR for schools and people need to start realizing that sentiment.

As students we offer an authentic perspective that resonates with the potential incomers. Telling the truth instead of half-truths or white lies from campus tours and preview days. We offer an honest and transparent evaluation of the school.

By fostering good relationships with current students, colleges will get what’s considered good PR and create advocates for the school.

But a strong rapport with current students requires more than just superficial gestures or tokens of appreciation. It demands genuine engagement and commitment to addressing their concerns and needs. They need to demonstrate an investment in the well-being and success of their current students. Prioritizing current students in college PR strategies isn't just a matter of goodwill but a strategic move in a long game of chess.

This blog was written by Kai Johnson

The Importance of Networking

I know. You read the title of this blog post and probably rolled your eyes. I’m sure many professors, guest speakers, parents, and anyone else concerned about your professional development has told you how important it is to network with people.

I was in a similar position, especially during COVID. I was getting really sick and tired of everyone basically saying the same thing to me; “Network, network, network.”

However, once things were able to “return back to normal,” I decided to really take this advice and do as I was told. Once I was allowed out of the house and able to socialize with people in person again, I began to network as much as possible.

Now, I’m sure when you hear the word “network,” you think of well-organized professional development events or conferences where you have to wear business attire and act all proper and professional. While these events certainly can’t hurt to attend, networking doesn’t always have to be this way. Honestly, anyone new that you meet, both in a casual and business setting, has joined your network, especially if you get their contact info.

Public relations is all about relationships and who you know (I’m sure you’ve heard that one before too). The more people you meet, from students to public relations professionals, only makes your network stronger and your list of opportunities longer.

Networking is how I got my job with Live Nation. Someone through Temple’s Music Business Club tipped me off to a hiring fair at the Mann Center, which was the stepping stone for me to work live events for almost a year at the time of this article being written.

Networking is also how I got my internship with Brian Communications, one of the largest public relations firms in the city. Christina Billie, our former president, let me know when Brian was hiring, and even put in a good word on my behalf to management.

Overall, it pays to put yourself out there and be a good person to people. Give people respect and kindness without expecting anything in return. Spread your passions and goals to anyone that’ll listen. You never know who will be able to hook you up with your next opportunity.

This blog post was written by Gavin Joyce, Vice President

How to Write a Strong Resume

The internet can give several different pages and websites on how to write a good resume. Which can be a lot of different information, especially when you don’t know what to do with it all. In this blog post, I tried to take all the information I could find and put it into one page.

A good resume should only take six seconds to look at. An employer will make the decision to read more just based on what they see first. In a resume, there should be five different sections.

Heading

In your heading you should have your name large and bolded centered at the top. Under that, with a location of where you are currently living. For college students, you can put your hometown and then schooling location. Then your email address, this should be a professional or school email. Not a personal address. Lastly, a phone number which you can be contacted by.

Education

This will be your first headline, starting at your education only in college, not high school. Your college should be listed first, with the location of the school next to it. Under that, you place the school in which your major is associated with. For example, Klein College of Media and Communications. Below that you can place your major, such as B.A in Public Relations. If desired, your minor can be identified as well. Then you can put down an expected graduation month and date. Some optional things you can include are your GPA, study away, and deans list. Only put your GPA if you have a 3.5 or higher.

The only things bolded in this section should be Education and the college/university.

Skills

The skills described should be what is called hard skills. Hard skills are skills that focus on specific tools, equipment, languages, etc. needed to complete a job. To give you an idea, this could be GarageBand, Teleprompter, Adobe Lightroom and more. These should be placed in three different columns on the left, middle, and right. You can put as many as you want on there, but keep it relevant.

Relevant Coursework

In this section, you can show any classes you have taken that may complement your experiences. List only the most important that an employer may ask about and could be relevant for a position. When spelling out the class names, make sure to list their real name. For instance, Intro to Advertising should be Introduction to Advertising.

Relevant Experience

Here is probably the most important section of your resume. This is where you can really show future employers what makes you qualified for the job. In here you can place any internships, jobs, professional clubs, and freelance work relevant to your intended career. Formatting your experience should start with the company/clubs name, bolded, then the location. Under that, you want your position held, italicized, also with how long you were employed there. This can look like June 2021-Present.

The large part of your resume is stating what you actually did. This can look very different for everyone and position. This can be placed in bullet points and usually 3-5 tasks or activities accomplished in your time there. Every point should start with an action word, creative, organized, etc. But keep in mind, if it is a current job it must be in the present tense and if you are no longer at that place of employment, it must be past tense.

Optional

Depending on the amount of space you have you may add more like work experience, awards, and volunteering. But keep in mind that you only have one page.

If you don't like a “simple” resume a great resource to use is Canva. Where you can find free templates available to use and create a standout resume.

Key Reminders

• All headings should be bolded and underlined.

• Do not use the word “I”

• Use simple fonts and 11-13 point

• Keep your information short and direct

• Have all formatting look the same for the sections, keep things consistent

• Make sure before you submit or print, check for any and all spelling error

Hopefully this format will help you either start a resume or build on to the one you had before. Having a good resume can help the employer understand who you are and why you are the best fit for the job.

This blog post was written by Julia Anderson, General Body Member